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Sourdough Biscuits (Gluten Free)

Gluten Free, Sourdough

Biscuits: the perfect breakfast food. When I was a kid, I loved Hardees plain jelly biscuits (skip the jelly). They were soft, and fluffy, and buttery goodness. As an adult, I love a good bacon and egg biscuit - butter, cheese, or avocado spread optional. And when you add the tanginess of sourdough to your biscuit? It makes it even better!

When we went gluten free, I started looking for a good biscuit recipce. At first I found a recipe for garlic cheddar biscuits, and used Pamella's Gluten Free Baking Mix. It was great! I still make them sometime, and you can find the recipe here. The cheese holds the biscuits together, and they are buttery goodness. But they are not proper American biscuits. The biscuit base is changed by the cheese; they are yummy and fluffy, but they do not have layers.

The creation of the Sourdough Biscuit

Then, earlier this year, I made my own gluten free sourdough starter. Suddenly I needed a use for all the sourdough discard! Enter the Sourdough Biscuit. They have a tangy flavor from the sourdough, and a texture that is almost exactly like a proper biscuit. I use Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour, which is a mix of chickpea flour, starch, sorghum flour, and fava bean flour. I love that this mix has some protein from the chickpea and fava bean flours, and no xanthum gum. It makes for a hearty guilt-free biscuit.

Please note, I bake my biscuits on my cast iron baking sheet. This toasts the bottom very nicely, and they slide right off the pan. I always put the pan in the oven to preheat. If you are not using a cast iron sheet, you may need to adjust the cooking time.

Sourdough Biscuits

2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour
1 cup Sourdough Starter (active)
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Butter (unsalted, one stick)
1/2 cup Milk

(1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Farhenheit. If using cast iron, place the baking sheet into the oven to preheat.

(2) Put the stick of butter in the freezer for a few minutes. The colder it is, the better it will hold together during mixing and give the biscuits their "biscuit" texture.

(3) Mix together the flour, starter, baking powder, and salt. Make sure the starter is well incorporated into all of the dry ingredients.

(4) Cut the butter into the flour and starter mix. The fastest way is to grate it with a cheese grater - which works especially well when the butter is cold. But you can also cut it in with butter knives.

(5) Once the butter is fully incorporated, add the milk until the mixture comes together with a dough-like texture. The amount of milk may vary depending on how wet your sourdough starter is.

(6) Divide the dough into roughly 12 portions and lightly shape it into round disks. Place on the preheated baking sheet. They do not need to touch, but it will not hurt them if they do.

(7) Bake for ~17 minutes, until golden brown on top.

(8) These biscuits are best enjoyed warm! If you need them for a future meal, the dough freezes well.

Last updated

March 19, 2024